As a PDP to realize high emission efficiency, a four-electrode structure PDP has been proposed. The four-electrode structure PDP has a structure in which, in addition to X, Y electrodes which are approximately in parallel in a first substrate, Z electrodes are arranged therebetween, and by use of these, a sustain discharge is performed. As the method and system of driving the Z electrodes, there are a method of giving a fixed potential (referred to as first method and fixed potential method) and a method of giving a narrow width pulse (abbreviated as narrow pulse) (referred to as second method and narrow pulse method). These two methods themselves are well known techniques.
By giving a pulse of appropriate timing conditions as the narrow pulse method to the Z electrodes of the PDP from driver side, it is possible to generate a multistep sustain discharge with a lower sustain discharge voltage (Vs) than that in the case of the fixed potential method, that is, at a low electron temperature. The above Vs is the voltage used in sustain discharge driving to X, Y, Z. Accordingly, even with a same long gap discharge between XY of cells, by the narrow pulse method, it is possible to realize a discharge with higher emission efficiency with less excitation energy loss.
A technique of the four-electrode structure PDP is described in, for example, Patent Document 1.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-110047